Growing Up Amish: The Rumspringa Years

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments Icould not have written this revised edition without the help of many individuals . I am grateful to my original Johns Hopkins University Press editor, Greg Nicholl, who approached me with the idea not only to revise the book, but especially to focus on the intersection of Amish youth and the electronic world of smartphones, computers, and the Internet. From the book’s inception until he left the Press in 2013, Greg encouraged my efforts and provided helpful counsel and direction. Likewise I am indebted to Sara Cleary, his successor at the Press, who immediately and enthusiastically picked up where Greg left off, continuing at the same high level of competence and encouragement throughout the rest of the project. The skilled input and guidance from both of these editors made this a much better book. Both of these professionals’ insights, competence, and attitude have defined for me what a truly competent editor should be. Many thanks, Greg and Sara. I am also grateful for the excellent and untiring help I received from Seleena Lindsey and Diane Hunsinger of Messiah College’s faculty services . Even though I am now an emeritus rather than full-time professor, these women were not only supportive of my professional needs but willingly offered immediate help whenever I needed it. Little wonder that they were officially honored for their consistently excellent work by their supervisors , peers, and clientele at Messiah College. Heartfelt thanks also go to professional colleagues who gave willingly xvi [ Acknowledgments { of their time to update me in their areas of expertise, especially as it related to Amish youth. Among them were Charles Bauman, Edsel Burdge, James Cates, Karen Johnson-Weiner, David McConnell, and Steven Nolt. Special thanks are due to my friend and colleague, Charles Jantzi, professor of psychology at Messiah College, who was my go-to person for advice and current information on the Internet and social media. Kudos also apply to his student assistant, Michelle Yoder, who located and organized an enormous amount of data regarding Amish youth activity on the Internet. Special thanks also go to the Young Center of Elizabethtown College and their administrative assistant, Edsel Burdge, who was my other go-to person. Edsel was always available, always helpful, always cheerful, and a worthy successor to the late Stephen Scott. Thank you so much, Edsel. Needless to say, I could not have accomplished this task without the help of scores of Amish friends and acquaintances, young and old, in the last two years. Some of them spent literally hours talking with me, answering my questions, and responding to my prose. My wife and I were also invited to their singings, volleyball games, church services, a funeral, and a wedding . These folks frequently shared their concerns and hopes surrounding their futures, that of their children, the Amish in general, and themselves. Erik Wesner, editor of the Amish America blog site, graciously gifted me by introducing me to some of his Amish friends who also befriended me and proved to be exceptionally helpful, both in updating my knowledge and in critiquing my manuscript. I am also thankful for the encouragement of my family to undertake and complete this important and challenging project, even though I am in my retirement years. My wife, Pauline, who has now read the manuscript several times since its inception, provided careful scrutiny, excellent criticism, and explicit feedback throughout the entire process. Thanks to her, this book is much clearer and more accurate than it would have been without her faithful ministrations. I hope to reciprocate in many ways as she writes her next book. Another surprising aid to my increased clarity and accuracy is that for this edition, most of my Amish sources, other than those living on the plainest end of the spectrum, have permitted me to use a small digital recorder when we talked. This change in Amish attitudes served to reduce [ Acknowledgments { xvii my need to constantly take notes or try to remember exact wordings during the interviews. Now my quotations can come from transcripts rather than memories. Almost everyone I asked granted me permission to record our discussions, and I never taped secretly. I am thankful for this unanticipated gift. My last acknowledgement goes to my copyeditor, Kathleen Capels, who provided the most careful and comprehensive editing of anyone I have ever worked with. Kathleen has an inborn sense for the flow of a manuscript...